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Gulfport, Miss – Horace M. Rutledge, Jr., 44, of Atlanta, Georgia, entered a guilty plea today before U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst.
Rutledge admitted he brought a .50 caliber rifle, a multi-caliber rifle with two 30-round magazines, and a multi-caliber pistol to a confidential informant as the second down payment for cocaine on September 23, 2017. On August 27, 2017, Rutledge brought $27,500 to Gulfport as a down payment for cocaine. Rutledge and others were part of conspiracy that was attempting to purchase as much as 50 kilos of cocaine from a DEA confidential informant. They wired money to Gulfport along with bringing cash and the firearms. Rutledge has four previous convictions for second degree assault, felony resisting arrest, possession of a firearm, and sale of a firearm as a second offender from Nassau County, New York.
Rutledge faces a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for August 16, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.
